Familiar glasses
by Fullbusterrulesmyheart
Summary: Natsu's turned into a ruthless, invincible stern machine after Gray's death. Five years later, Fairy Tail has almost lost every shred of it's cheeriness due to the darkness surrounding the dragon slayer. The solution? Gray's look alike: Jay Rochester. Slash. Natsu/Oc sortish.
1. Prologue

**So I'm back again with loads of crap to bore you all. Well, doesn't really matter since FFN doesn't lumme' anymore. No one wants me... *broods in a corner* **

**It's my attempt at... well, something, at least.**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

It's not 'cause he ever cared. It's not 'cause he never cries. It's not 'cause he's empty.

It's 'cause he's dying -with every moment that passes, with every breath he takes, with every shard of hope falling slowly down.

He's turned into a ruthless, invincible machine.

"Are you really sure about this, Erza? Perhaps looking twice into the matter can help..."

The redhead frowns, squinting her eyes hard at the salmon haired male. After a moment of contemplating, she suddenly shakes her head and mutters, "No."

"No?" Lucy asks, her hope dribbling down breathlessly.

"No." Erza nods, and then continues with sharp activeness, "Don't let either Jay or Natsu know a single thing 'bout our motive. This is for Natsu's happiness, and you are very well aware how the last option left is Jay."

"Who's Jay, Erza?" Juvia looks up at both the female mages, her wide eyes tired and mature after five painfully long years of wasted waiting.

After another pitiful sigh, the redhead replies, "Gray's look-alike."

* * *

"Thank you so much for letting me join this guild!"

"My pleasure, darling. Erza, sweetheart, won't you show him around and _introduce _him to certain members?" Mirajane smiles again, and the long-washed away glint in her eyes illuminate like stars in the milky way.

The redhead nods and smiles politely at Jay, "Sure. You'll love it here in Fiore, Jay."

"I know, right? This is already such a great place! Much greater than the high-class thingy called guild _I_ was stuck with for the past seventeen worthless years of my life!" Erza smiles at the overly-cheery personality of the boy. After five years of lonesome unity and dark light, this Jay character has not only brought back Gray's face with him, but carried along with it the hope everyone has lost.

"So, Jay, how old are you?"

"Oh, um, me? I'm nineteen." Jay replies while peeking through the holes in his camera like device.

"Huh? So, you joined your guild... at two?" Erza looks at him questioningly.

Chuckling, the raven haired teenager shakes his head, "Oh, nah. I was born in that guild. You see, the guildmaster was my grandfather -so everyone automatically predicted my future as a spoiled brat. I left the guild in blind rage and sent the last two years practicing my photographic magic."

"Oh, so you share Laxus' life-history..."

"Who's that?" Jay asks as they continue walking through the halls towards the redhead's salmon-headed aim.

Erza points a finger at the slouched blond figure in the corner of the guild, surrounded by a few men.

"That bad-ass looking guy there is Laxus."

Jay frowns, his cobalt blue eyes suddenly widening from recognition by the next instant, and he shouts, "Hey! I know that man -he called me Gray!"

The guild suddenly freezes in stunned silence, and every face turns expectantly in Natsu's direction, mentally preparing themselves for a blast caused by the familiar ringing of the forbidden name. Including Master Makarov's.

The silence greeting the guild members is intimidating, but the dark aura ripping through Fairy Tail's cheery mood is even more terrifying.

Jay eyes everyone with confusion, and follows everyone's gaze, locking his eyes with a tanned and tall frame standing up.

Natsu stands up, straightening his very muscled back, and turns around to face the criminal who had the stupidity to utter _his_ name with such unpardonable mockery. Familiar beautiful face greets him, with foreign curiosity wide in cobalt pools and spiked up raven locks. And clad in an orange jacket and white pants, stands in front of him a boy who shares his face with his long-lost love. Natsu freezes for a moment, but then decides that no one has the right to possess _his_ face and voice and be so nonchalant about the matter.

Erza gulps down the lump forming in her throat. The big moment is here -it all depends on Natsu's reaction of Jay's arrival.

Quite contrary to the fluffy and happy imagery she had formed in her mind, Natsu's enraged steps thudding over the wooden floor like thunder booms disappoint her thoroughly -and in quite sincere secrecy, they scare the shits out of her.

"Who the fuck are you?" Natsu's nostrils snare as he glares down at the two years junior in front of him.

"Uh, hey."

Those words alone send a fire brizzling throughout the guild, initiating a chain of dreadful murmurs.

"I repeat: Who the fuck are you?"

_Please say Gray Fullbuster... please, please, please. I beg you. Please say Gray Fullbuster!_

"Jay Rochester. I'm the newest member of Fairy Tail. You must be-

"Who _I_ am, is none of your goddamn fucking concern. You're a newbie, so I'll just warn you 'bout one thing -do _not_ say his name ever again in the guild."

"His name?" Jay frowns.

With his lips curling up into a cruel smirk, he replies, "Yes, his name. Just 'cause you got his looks, you don't automatically have the right to do any such thing which no member does in this guild."

And then the blazing fire Jay saw flickering in the man's eyes vanishes, leaving behind cold sternness.

Walking away, Natsu warns threateningly over his shoulder, throwing Jay's body in frightened shivers, "And Jay Rochester? If I ever hear of you trying to get closey-wosey with my team, I'll rip you apart."

* * *

As the doors slam shut, three seconds tick in suppressed silence. And then hell goes loose.

"Why's everyone cheering?" Jay asks, still quite shocked and startled with his 'introduction' with the guild's resident bad boy.

A blonde quickly wraps her arms around him, and sobs in his ear, "Thank goodness you're here! I can see everything getting right now!"

"Uh-

"Thank you!" And then suddenly, Jay's eyes widen as a blue cat with white wings smash with his pale face, it's tail squishing his neck.

"I don't get what's happening-

"Good job there, buddy!" Cana slaps his back.

Choking, Jay wonders what in heaven got them all so worked up.

As if answering to his internal queries, the master speaks, his voice booming throughout the guildhall, "Fairy Tail will now rejoice, my children! For the arrival of our new member who has brought life once again with him, and for seeing the tiniest bit of hope flare for our dear Natsu who has reacted after five long years! We heartily engulf Jay Rochester in our arms, welcoming him as one of our long-awaited children!"

While booze and cats fly across the hall, cobalt eyes stare incredulously at everything unfamiliar to them.

Smiling at him, Erza pats his shoulder.

"Erza, what happened?" He asks in a daze.

The redhead says, "Five years ago we lost a dear someone, and along with that the light of the life of Fairy Tail." She glances happily at the closed doors, and grins at him with tears brimming her chocolate eyes, "Guess now that you've come, we just got back what we lost long ago."


	2. 1: Insecurity

"Why is he in this guild today as well?"

Jay looks up, shock written all over his face. Grimacing, the teen nudges Lucy, who's sitting beside him, and whispers, "The devil's back."

Natsu's eyes narrow, and he sternly says, "Yes, the devil is back. And the said devil desires to know the reason behind stupid teen's sudden appearance in Fairy Tail."

Jay's anger rises up then, and he stands up in a fluid motion, narrowing his eyes up at the taller male, "Listen, I don't know what it is about me that bothers you so much, but if that's just how you are stuck on treating me like, I won't object in fighting you."

Natsu raises an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

Fists clenching, the teen nods. There's a determined fire in Jay's eyes, and Natsu's heart bleeds as he realizes how Gray's weren't so determined. His ice-mage was that insecure bastard who believed in pretending to be strong, but accepting to perish from inside every moment. Jay is far from ever being Gray.

With the coldness plunging his insides, he snarls, "Look before you speak, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"Right." Natsu gives him a cold smile, and then turns on his heels to exit the guild. Sighing after his retreating figure, the boy slumps down again, and asks with a whine, "Is he always like that?"

The blonde just pats him on the shoulder.

* * *

_I'll remain with you as long as you believe in love, Natsu._

His head thuds backs against the wall, and he closes his eyes as memories flood his tired mind.

_You're the only person who's got to touch me the way you did, Natsu._

He knows -but the thing is, even he can't do that anymore.

_Oh God, Natsu, I'm tired, I'm so so so tired. I just can't... I give up, Natsu. I give up._

Why did he have to be so damn insecure when he was the best thing that could happen to Natsu? He missed him.

_Try to keep me alive by continuing to smile._

Barely.

A tear slowly trailed down his cheek, the sinking feeling residing in his heart re-awakening. It was like a nightmare... you knew that waking up was the best, but too scared to move. Only this was real.

Only he hated to replace Gray.

* * *

"Who _is_ Gray Fullbuster, by the way?" Jay asks Erza, who is busy inspecting her sword. Some bastard broke it. The question, however, stops her. And the scarlet haired mage looks up, her eyes uncertain, as she looks at Jay. He's sitting on the bed comfortably, his camera hanging around his neck.

Several weeks have passed since his arrival at the guild, but it is still hard to remember the difference between Jay and Gray.

Slowly, she looks down, and hesitantly replies, pretending to be busy polishing her sword, "Um.. he was our partner."

"Yeah, well..." He looks expectantly at her to continue.

With a tired voice, she looks up, and says, "He was a really close friend... and uh, I... I think you know enough already, Jay. Don't let the past occupy our present."

He chuckles, "Imagine the plight of the world if the historians said that."

She smiles. How can she even think about using him...? Jay is as different from Gray as one can be... and really, Natsu hasn't even changed much, anyways. What's the use of hiding everything?

"He's no more, Jay. And Natsu quite... well, he was quite close to him."

"How close?" Jay asks nonchalantly, leaning down on the soft sheets of his bed.

Silence ensues. Erza continues looking at her sword, her vision blurring with tears. Whispering, she says to herself,

"Close enough to forget us all."

* * *

It's that fucking stupid date again. The proof. The evidence.

The damned reminder of his death.

The guild doors open, and the stupid teen enters with his obnoxiously loud voice.

"Hey everyone!" Jay greets with an unusually bright face. Natsu scowls. Is making his life miserable the sole purpose of this brat?

Lucy grins, and rushes to hug the younger man, "Hey Jay! Happy Birthday!"

Birthday? Perfect.

Natsu stands up, and walks past the teen to exit the guild halls. Just as he's stepping out, Makarov stands in his way, his eyes expectant. Natsu sighs, "Gramps, I'm really not..."

Makarov just stands firmly, motioning at the raven with his wise eyes. Rolling his eyes, Natsu turns around and takes painstaking steps toward the teen.

"Uh, brat. I mean Jay. Yeah, um, Jay, happy birthday."

Jay looks up at him in surprise, his eyes wide. Hesitantly, he smiles back, "Uh, thanks."

And Natsu leaves.

He's usually out of his mind on November 15, anyways.

* * *

**Yes, so, I know this is quite short. But frankly, I don't even know why I'm continuing it. I guess I'll just delete it... I don't feel the connection here anymore. It's not like anyone wants to maintain, anyways. *sigh* **


End file.
